Auxiliary seat support for use with dental chairs



y 1952 c. w. JOHNSON ETAL AUXILIARY SEAT SUPPORT FOR USE WITH DENTAL CHAIRS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Original Filed March 8, 1947 70571 1 Clark @M .fifzorneys.

May 13, 1952 c. w. JOHNS ON EI'AL AUXILIARY SEAT SUPPORT FOR USE WITH DENTAL CHAIRS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 March 8, 1947 Original Filed Invenzars ZZ WJknson 10 .9 49 Carro Jokn .7? Ciarl? fizzarneys Patented May 13, 1952 AUXILIARY 'SEAT SUPPORT FOR USE WITH DENTAL CHAIRS- -Carrll W Johnson, Chicag and JohnT. Clark, Cicero, 111.

, 8;Claims. (Cl. 155-431) (1 This invention relateseto an improyementain operator supports for use with chairs inwhich a patient or subject is seated.

'Qne purposeisto provide a support upon which an operator, such as a dentist, may rest'his ,5

weight or lee-seated While he is Working .upona pat en Another purpose is to provide such, a support .-in:wh ich'the dentist or other operator may readily change hisposi-tion in relation to the patient,

while operating on' the patient.

Another purpose ;is-to provide an improved base andsupport; associated, for ,examp1e,-with a .dentist-; chair.

Another pu pose ismro d s q a s pport whichuiszreadily; adjustable about and toward and away fIOmISUCh", a chair.

'Another purpose is-to pro ide such a-support .Whichhas associated with it efficient control means for operat g mechanisms; for example,

electrically. operated mechanisms used in dentistry.

:Another purpose is to provide an improved support which, may beused in any situation, where apatient, or subject is seatedor positioned at a enerally .fixed point, ,andwhere the-operator, for example, a dentist, surgeon or barber, may freely move-himseliinrelation to -the, patient or subject, .With .a; minimum 0f Q O a d- Willh-ia continuous control of .yariops, mechanisms; em-

ployedl upon .jzthepatient or.,;subject.

Another purpose is to provide animproyed assembly or layout inwhich the operator has ready access. both to the patient or subject ina chair,

andto; other mechanisms onadjacent furniture.

,,.Ano ther ;purpose is qto provide an improved means ,for; adjusting a ,seattoward and away from ,azden al: chair.

.. Another purpose isto-proyide. an improved supporting; connection for a dental, seat and control assembly, whereby: it m ay ,be readily adjusted towardrand, away dram ,the dental chair .on wh ch the patient: sits. I

1 Other, purmseswillappear from time .to time winthecqurserot; the spec fication and claims. s'liheznresen ap icat o is a d vis o of :our

conending gapplication Seri al No. 733,340, -.filed March" ,8 ,1 194? which; issuedon February ,21, 1950 as Patent .Np.,-.,2,98,55,0.

'p'Ifhe invention -isillustrated more or ;l ess,diaramma ical y :in the; accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure '1; iscauperspectiye, view illustrating the invention in position ina. dentistseiiiee;

Figure: 2 is aapartialhorizontal,section-.911 an .55

enlarged scale, illustrating the structureofthe vention;

, Figure 3 is,a. viewpf the structure shown in Figure 2, with parts in elevation and parts in vertical sectio Figure .4 isa section on the lined-,4 of. Eigure l,.0.n,an enlargedscale, illustrating theseat in .diiferent positions;

Figure .5 is asection onthe lined-5 of Eigure 1, onan enlarged scale;

Figure, dis a detail; ,and

Figure? ,isa section, on an enlarged-scale; on the line .l-r'kof Figure .3.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout. the specification, and drawings.

Referringto the drawings, I generally indicates the-floorof room, suchasa dentaloince, and 2. indicateswalls. .,3- and.4 indicate various dental equipment, cabinets and the like. .5 indicates a support .for. dental equipment, .located adjacent the dental chair, generally indicated as 6. The-dental chair has apedestal 1 which rests on or. includesa baseB which-may; have agenerally; cireulargbottom contour,.as shown in Figure 2.

Adapted for insertion beneath the base 8, and adapted to be held imposition .by. the weightof the base 8, is a base plate 9, the contour orthe .planeof which is illustrated in. Figure 2. The plate. 9 preferably. has an outer enlargement l0 which mayhave an arcuateedge ll, conforming generally. to. thearcor curvature of theexterior edgeof .the base flange. f the chair. The members ..8,and. It! may, if .desired, have substantially the .sameelevation above the floor. It isclear. fromethe drawings that the base plate ills of such ;size.and shape with respect to'the chair pedestal that when the chair is tilted about the edge of the pedestal as. a fulcrum ata point substantially diametrically opposed to the .position of the enlargement .l 0 .on the plate, said edge of the pedestal will engage the floor or.other supporting surface on .which the pedestal rests, thereby freeing the plate .for adjustment or rejusting thedevice thatitcan beadjusted about the dental or barber chair. base by merely tilt-- ing the chair slightly. The operator -or .assistant can then readilymove the plate 9 with .its enlargement I 0, about the periphery, of, the chair base.

Upstanding from the portion 10, we illustratea .pivot pin. l2. Rotatableabout the pin isla seat and controlsupporting aSSEmQIY rWhiQh. includes the hub: J 3, theeonnecting: arm. 1 4. an th at support I5. The parts l3, l4 and It may constitute a single piece, such as a die casting. The arm I l connects the upper parts of the elements l3 and it. The hollow end enlargement it has an upward projection it which terminates in a sleeve I! having an internal bore l8. Adjustable in the bore :8 is the vertical seat supporting rod IS. The rod is provided with a plurality of notches or apertures 28, which are vertically aligned along the rod and which are adapted to receive a locking pin 2 i. The pin 2! is mounted for endwise manual movement in the sleeve 22. 23 indicates an external manual control member whereby the pin 2! may be outwardly drawn against the compression of the coil spring 24. The spring it may be compressed between the pin abutment 25 and the outer end 2t of the sleeve 22. It is effective normally to urge the pin into the locking position in which it is shown in Figure 3. The rod is may be raised to any desired height, within the range of the apertures or notches 2d, and may be held locked in the desired position of adjustment, as illustrated in Figure 3. The lower portion of the enlargement it carries a plurality of ground-engaging rollers 28. Each roller may have a pin 29, the ends of which are mounted or journaled, in suitable wall or supporting portions, as at 38 and 31. Thus the outer end of the seat supporting assembly is movably supported by the rollers 28 upon the floor surface I. It will be understood, however, that any suitable antifrictional supporting means may be employed, rollers constituting a satisfactory solution of the problem.

Mounted at the upper end of the rod I9 is an eccentrically positioned seat disc 35, merely shown as mounted on or secured to a rotatable fitting 36 which is held in position by any suitable screw or bolt 3']. '38 is any suitable flexible seat covering, secured about the edges of the disc 35. 39 indicates any suitable upholstery padding, and it a protecting covering to prevent access of the upholstery to the bearing connection between the fitting 36 and the recessed or offset top of the rod 19. It will be understood, as shown in Figure 4, that the user can adjust the effective distance of the seat from the dental chair by merely rotating it about the rod l9.

We find it desirable to provide a control box which is mounted in a position convenient to the foot of the operator, and which may rotate with and still be adjustable in relation to the abovedescribed seat assembly. We illustrate, for example, the ccntrol box 35 mounted on an arm 46 which includes an inner hub portion 4'! in the form of a sleeve having a cylindrical hollow G8. 49 is a pivot pin, shown as secured to an upper portion of the member E3, or an adjacent part of the arm 14. Secured to the lower surface of the arm M is an abutment plate, shown in Figures and 7 and indicated at 59. It may be held in position, for example, by screws 5! and is provided with a plurality of generally radially extending concavities or notches 52. In the upper exterior surface of the sleeve M is an opposed plate 53, shown in Figure 6 as held in position by screws E l. It is provided with a pair of diametrically continuous ridges 55. The pin 49 terminates in a lower head 56 which serves as a lower abutment for a coil spring 51. The coil spring tends normally to urge the sleeve 41 upwardly against the plate 59. However, the compression is sufficient to prevent the user from imparting an adjusting rotation to the arm 46 and V the control box 45. It will be understood that in practice it is important that unintended movement of the control box -55 be prevented, but that it may be fairly easily moved by an intended movement or thrust of the foot. The box 45 may carry any suitable actuating members or levers, as at 60, the details of which do not of themselves form part of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that any suitable control switches and connections may be employed. For example, the box 45 may, if desired, be provided with supporting means, such as the roller 45a, or such supporting means may be omitted.

It will be realized that whereas a practical and operative device is herein described and illustrated, nevertheless many changes in size, shape, number and disposition of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention. We therefore wish our description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting us to our precise showing.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows: 7 a

In dentistry, the dentist ordinarily works while standing on his feet. This involves a serious physical strain and frequently results in corns, fallen arches and other troubles of the feet, leg joints and spine. However, if the dentist employs a seat, the problem of shifting the seat in the course of his work necessitates the use of a movable seat. Whereas dentistry is now an old art, and dental equipment has reached a high degree of specialization; it has not, up to now, been possible for the dentist to find any available readily movable seat which can be practically used during his work. The present invention fills this gap and provides a seat upon which the dentist may rest a substantial part of his weight, without any sacrifice of his mobility during the work he does on his patients. With reference, for example, to Figures 1 and 4, the seat 33 may be swung at will, to adjust it toward or away from the dental chair. This adjustment may allow for differences in the position of the patient on the chair, for the size of the dentist, and for different tasks or jobs on which the dentist is work- The seat supporting assembly, as a whole, may be swung at will, by the feet of the dentist, to render available all of the equipment which a dentist normally uses, including the drill and tray; not herein shown, the cabinet 4 and the extra equipment 3. The dentist can move readily about the patient throughout an arc of sufficient extent to give him complete access to the mouth of the patient from all the angle from which he normally works. The controls of the chair are within reach of the dentist at all times, as are the controls on the readily adjustable control box 45. Thus the dentist hasavailable at all times all of the equipment he uses, and is able to maintain a seated posture withoutany loss of control and without any perceptible restriction of his movements. The mechanism maybe set or adjusted for the size of the dentist, the location and shape of the dental chair and the needs of the particular case. Ordinarily,' an initial adjustment in relation to the size of the chair and the habits and convenience of dentists isenough.

This adjustmentincludes the adjustable, eccentric center about which the support rotates, the distance of the Support from the center'about which it rotates, and the height of the seat 38 upon which the dentist sits.

Whereas we have described our inventionas appliedto a dental office, itwill =be--understod that it-will alsoapply, with slight changes; to theoffices of oral surgeons and, in general, to offices of eye, ear, nose and *throat'specialists. also be employedby barbersandin anyother situation whereina dentist; surgeon, barber or investigator does hisworkupon a patientor subjectseated in apredetermined position, where it is necessary for the operatorto move about thepatient in th'ecourseof-investigation, treatment or service.

The eccentric pivoting of the seat 38'; in rela-' tion to the chair, is highlyadvantageous-andpermits complete mobility andready access to the patient. It will be'understood, of course, that the seat 38 may readily be adjusted at any desired ator, however; can adjust it ab'out'the chair, by" The" slightly tilting the pedestal of thechair: center ofrotationof the seat-assembly, as established by the pin [2; is eccentric in-relation to the center of rotation'ofthe'dental chair itself. If the operator'wishes to vary the. distance between the center of-the dental chairand the. pin i2, he merely has to tilt the chair pedestal slightly and pull the plate 9 slightly outwardly away from-the center of the dental chair." We thus provide a simple but readily adjustable assembly, with a minimum of complications, and a maximum flexibility in use.

Our invention may be applied not only to dental chairs, barber chairs or thelike, butto machine tools, such as lathes, where an operator has to sit as he controls machinery with which he works.

An important feature of the invention is the employment of adequate means for supporting the feet during work.- The user may set the control box 45 at the desired position and may rest his foot on the top, Itwill be understood that the control 60 extendsupwardly to a level above the top of the control box 45. Thus the user, by a sideward movement of his foot, may control a rheostat in the control box 45 and thereby control his drill or other equipment. The use of the roller 45a permits the control box 45 to support the entire weight of the operator, when necessary. On the other hand, if the operator moves the-control box into the dotted line position of Figure 2, and prefers to stand, the control etc, which moves unitarily with the control 60, can be used, since the control Elia may be located at the ground level.

The end horns of the member [5, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, are also available to support the feet of the operator, when the operator is resting his weight on the seat.

We may find it desirable to put the middle of the three rollers 28 at a slight angle, with its axis non-radial. This permits it to serve as a slight brake. It will also be noted that the three rollers are so positioned as to constitute a tripod or triple support which is ample to support the weight of the heaviest user.

We claim:

1. In a seat attachment adapted for use with dental chairs and the like having heavy pedestals which rest by gravity upon a supporting surface, a base plate for supplemental seats, such plate having a relatively thin blade portion at one edge adapted for insertion beneath the edge of such a pedestal and formed and adapted to be held by the weight of such pedestal in frictional contact It may with the. pedestal and with the surfacezuponwhich the pedestal rests,- saidiib'ase plate having. abutment means adapted, when the: seat attachment is-applied to the-pedestal ofadental chair, to engage the edge. of 'therpedestal and to maintain the supplemental base .in predetermined: relation to the pedestal, the?" base plate havinga portion which, whenxthe thin plate portion of the base plate i is positioned. beneath a pedestal and the abutmentmeanssengages thezedgeof the pedestal,

extends radially; outwardly from the pedestal and issadapted togreceiveza: seat support.

2; Theistructurerof claim l'in which that part ofitlie: base-'plateazexterior" to the pedestal, when 1 the blade. portioniisabeneath the pedestal, i substantially thickerrth'an said blade portion and has an edge portion opposable tothe edge of the pedestal, adapted. to: serve. as said abutment means.

3; .In aiseatiassemblyr for .use. with a Vertically axised irotatable dental. chair. having anormally fixed .fioor. engaging base: ofsubstantial weight and having .agenerally'circular lower, outer edge, a supplemental base adapted when in use, to be freelyadjustableabout; the periphery of. said dental. chair 1 base said. supplemental base including. an abutment portion which when in use is adapted to be. located exteriorly. to the baseof the :dental chair' and'win. engagement with an edge". thereof, said supplemental. base including:a relatively thin portionadapted to extend beneatht the. edge portion of said floor engaging base .to a distance. substantially less than the radius of'said dental chair base when said abut menttportion isin engagement with the edge of said dental chair base, whereby. the pedestal may be tilted on its edge, opposite the supplemental baseas a fulcrum .to freethe' supplemental base forremoval or adjustmentabout the chair base, ahorizontally extending armmember located adjacent the floor and. pivoted to said supplemental. base for. rotation about a center which, when the seatlassembly is in use, liesadjacent the.edge;.of.said dentalchair base, a stool supporteduon theiouteriend of said arm, said suppleof rotation of the arm'aabout the center of the 7 dental chair base, to vary thelocation of thearc chairbase-and the dental chair positioned thereon, the portion of saidsupplemental base which is i adapted to extend beneath .the dental chair base being formed and adapted for simultaneous-em gagement with the floor and with the lower surface of the floor engaging base, whereby the weight of the dental chair base is effective to prevent unintended movement of said supplemental base during normal use of the dental chair and seat assembly.

4. In a seat assembly for use with a vertically axised rotatable dental chair having a normally fixed floor engaging base of substantial weight, a supplemental base freely adjustable about the periphery of said dental chair base and including a relatively thin portion adapted to extend beneath the edge portion of said 'l-loor engaging base, abutment means carried by said supplemental base and adapted to engage the edge of the chair base, a horizontally extending arm member adapted to be located adjacent the floor and pivoted to said supplemental base for rotation about a center located adjacent to but situated radially outwardly beyond the edge of said dental chair base when the seat assembly is in use with said abutment means in engagement with the edge of the pedestal, a stool supported on the outer end of said arm, said supplemental base being readily shiftable about the axis of the dental chair base to adjust the center of rotation of the arm about the center of the dental chair base, to vary the location of the arc of swing of said stool, the portion of said supplemental base which is adapted to extend beneath the dental chair base being formed and adapted for simultaneous engagement with the floor and with the lower surface of the floor engaging base, whereby the weight of the dental chair base is effective to prevent unintended movement of said supplemental base during normal use of the dental chair and seat assembly.

5. In a supplemental seat base adapted for use with dental chairs and the like having heavy pedestals which rest by gravity upon a supporting surface, a base plate having a relatively thin portion at one edge, said thin portion having a length less than the diameter of the chair pedestal and adapted for insertion beneath the edge of such a pedestal and formed and adapted to beheld by the weight of the pedestal in contact with the pedestal and with the surface upon which the pedestal rests while being free for adjustment and removal when the chair pedestal is tilted on its edge as a fulcrum at a point opposite to the plate, the base plate having also a thickened abutment portion formed and adapted to engage the edge of the pedestal to limit the extent of insertion of the base plate beneath the pedestal to a distance substantially less than the diameter of the pedestal and to maintain the supplemental base plate in predetermined relation to the pedestal.

6. In a seat attachment adapted for use with dental chairs and the like having heavy pedestals which rest by gravity upon a supporting surface, an adjustable and removable base plate for supplemental seats, such plate having a relatively 7 thin blade portion having a length less than the diameter of such a pedestal and adapted for insertion beneath the edge of such a pedestal and formed and adapted to be held by the weight of such a pedestal in frictional contact with the pedestal and with the surface upon which the pedestal rests while being free for adjustment and removal when the chair pedestal is tilted on the edge as a fulcrum at a point substantially diametrically opposite to the plate, said base plate also having abutment means which, when the blade portion is inserted beneath the pedestal is adapted to engage the edge of the pedestal to limit the extent of insertion of the base plate beneath the pedestal to a distance substantially less than the diameter of the pedestal when the abutment is so engaged to maintain the base plate in predetermined relation to the pedestal, the base plate having a portion disposed radially outwardly of the edge of the pedestal when the abutment means is engaged therewith, which portion is adapted to receive a seat support.

'7. In a seat attachment adapted for use with dental chairs and the like having heavy pedestals which rest by gravity upon a supporting surface, an adjustable and removable base for supplemental seats, such base having a relatively thin blade portion adapted for ready insertion beneath the edge of such a pedestal when such pedestal is slightly tilted upwardly from the floor, and formed and adapted to be held by the weight of such a pedestal in frictional contact with the pedestal and with the supporting surface upon which the pedestal rests, said base also havin abutment means which, when the blade portion is inserted beneath the pedestal, is adapted to engage the edge of the pedestal to maintain the base in predetermined relation to the pedestal. the supplemental base having a portion which is adapted to receive a seat support, the thin blade portion of said base being substantially less in length and in width than the diameter of the pedestal so that with the abutment means in engagement with the edge of the chair pedestal, the edge of the pedestal may be fulcrummed on said supporting surface at a point remote from said abutment means when an opposite edge portion of the pedestal is raised out of frictional contact with the base to thereby free said base for adjustment or removal.

8. The structure of claim 7 characterized by and including a rotatable connection between the seat support and the base adapted to permit the rotation of the seat support in relation to the base about a generally vertical axis.

CARROLL W. JOHNSON. JOHN T. CLARK.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 689,964 Hieber Dec. 31, 1901 1,189,934 Geraci July 4, 1916 1,566,161 Moore Dec. 15, 1925 2,524,187 Bales Oct. 3, 1950 

